Visa Friend

Inspiration

The United States visa experience can be tough for those who are new to the country. When you don't know the language or have any friends in a new place, this can make navigating the process difficult.

What it does

We firstly prompt the user to enter their language of choice. A client can then enter their Visa status and a summary of what kind of information they are looking for, alongside the documents they wish to obtain this information from. The website will take the legal documentation, find the important information corresponding to the client's concerns, and summarize it back to the client in their native language.

How we built it

We utilized the generative UI tool V0 to inspire our front-end React development process. We then linked the front end to the back-end Python script, which utilized integration of the ChatGPT and Google Translate APIs to translate and summarize visa documentation based on the user's questions and background. The GPT was then instructed to provide relevant guidance and information regarding next steps to the user based on their submission.

Challenges we ran into

Connecting our front-end to the back-end was the largest challenge. The three of us were all extremely new to full-stack development, so this process was a bit rocky. We managed to pull something together, but still struggled with a lot of literacy between the two.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're proud that we learned Javascript, as well as our figuring out how to incorporate LLMs into our product to begin a transition towards a more equitable and accessible Visa experience.

What we learned

We learned a lot about both back-end and front-end development. We learned how to better use React, as well as various APIs and LLM tools. Our understanding of dynamic UI and process design also improved. We also learned the basics of how to pitch our service.

What's next for Visa Friend

When we initially began this project, we had a web app in mind. Ideally, we'll work to finalize and launch the site for beta testing among real individuals.